1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cutting devices and more particularly to a hand held cutting device which allows the home craftsman to have precise control of the cutting edge while trimming various materials.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently many home craftsmen use a razor blade to cut various materials such as leather, cardboard, paper and cloth. In order to gain precise control of the cutting edge of the razor blade it is necessary to firmly grasp the blade between their thumbs and first fingers. These same craftsmen have often cut their fingers because they were unable to carefully control the cutting edge of the razor blade which has a tendency to slip out of their grasps. Their use of the razor blade does have one advantage in that it is readily available to the home craftsmen in any store.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,234,846, entitled Cutter, issued to Edgar P. Wilson on July 31, 1917, teaches a cutter which includes a holder adapted for reception of a cutting blade. The holder is formed out of a single piece of metal which is bent intermediate to its ends to form parallel legs and to have a finger piece projecting from one of the sides at the opposite end. The parallel legs have their corners cut away at one end in order to expose a cutting blade placed therein. The cutting blade is detachably mounted in the holder and has its cutting edge exposed at the corners of the parallel legs which have been cut away. The cutter further includes a detachable guard for covering the cutting edge of the cutting blade.
Many home craftsmen have been using an exacto knife instead of the razor blade. The exacto knife is a cutting device formed from metal and must be manufactured to tight engineering specifications and tolerance. Furthermore, the exacto knife has several moving parts which add to the cost of manufacturing the exacto knife. Another problem of the exacto knife is that its blade must be procured at a hardware store, hobby shop or department store, many of which are closed on Sundays. Since many home craftsmen do much of their work on Sunday this creates an added burden on the home craftsmen who might wish to purchase such a blade on a Sunday.
The home craftsman appreciates the ability that he has when using a razor blade held tightly between his thumb and his first finger to precisely control his cutting of material. He is not able to achieve this same control with an exacto knife because the manner in which he holds the exacto knife limits his ability to precisely control the movement of the blade.